Heat sink with protective outer buckling plate

ABSTRACT

An exemplary heat sink includes a fin group, and a buckling plate. The fin group includes a plurality of first fins, and a second fin coupled to the first fin located at the outmost side. The second fin includes a first body and a first flange bending from a side of the first body. The first flange defines a first buckling hole therein and forms a tab in the vicinity of the first buckling hole. The buckling plate includes a second body and a second flange bending from a side of the second body. The second flange of the buckling plate faces and abuts against the first flange of the second fin. The tab of the second fin extends through the buckling plate to buckle the second fin with the buckling plate together.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The disclosure relates to heat sinks, and particularly to a heat sinkwhich can protect a human operator from injury.

2. Description of Related Art

Nowadays, numerous kinds of heat sinks are used to dissipate heatgenerated by electronic devices. Conventionally, a heat sink includes aplurality of fins. Each fin includes a body and a flange bending from aside of the body. The flange defines a buckling hole therein, and formsa buckling sheet in the vicinity of the buckling hole. The flange ofeach fin extends along a same direction and abuts against the body of anadjacent fin. The buckling sheet of each fin extends through thebuckling hole of an adjacent fin to connect these two fins together.However, when all the fins are stacked together, the flange and thebuckling sheet of the fin located at the outmost side of the stack aredirectly exposed, and are liable to hurt a human operator such as afactory worker.

What is needed, therefore, is a heat sink which can overcome thelimitations described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed uponclearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments.Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric, assembled view of a heat sink in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1, but shows a buckling plate of the heat sinkexploded away from a fin group of the heat sink.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a first fin of the fin group of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded, enlarged view of a second fin of the fin groupand the buckling plate of the heat sink of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an exploded, enlarged view of two adjacent first fins of thefin group of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a circled portion VI of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, a heat sink 1000 in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure is shown. The heat sink 1000 is used fordissipating heat generated by an electronic device, and includes a fingroup 100 and a buckling plate 11. The fin group 100 includes aplurality of first fins 10 connected together, and a second fin 102coupled to one of the first fins 10 which is located at the outmost sideof the group of first fins 10. Each of the first fins 10, the second fin102 and the buckling plate 11 is made of metal such as aluminum, copperor an alloy thereof.

Also referring to FIGS. 3-4, each of the first fins 10 and the secondfin 102 includes a rectangular body 12, and two flanges 14 extendingperpendicularly from top and bottom edges of the body 12 respectively,along the same direction. Each flange 14 defines a buckling hole 16therein. Each buckling hole 16 includes a main portion 164 and anextending portion 162. A protrusion 122 protrudes outwardly from theedge of each body 12 near each buckling hole 16. In particular, at eachbuckling hole 16 at the top edge of the body 12, the protrusion 122protrudes vertically up; and at each buckling hole 16 at the bottom edgeof the body 12, the protrusion 122 protrudes vertically down.

Also referring to FIG. 6, a buckling sheet 18 extends outwardly andhorizontally from each flange 14 of each first fin 10. Each bucklingsheet 18 includes a main body 184 near the extending portion 162 of thebuckling hole 16, and an extending portion 182 extending outwardly fromthe main body 184. A width of the main body 184 is larger than that ofthe extending portion 182. The extending portion 162 of each bucklinghole 16 has an extending distance H equal to an extending distance D ofthe extending portion 182 of each buckling sheet 18 plus the thicknessof the protrusion 122.

Also referring to FIG. 5, two adjacent first fins 10 are designated asfirst fins 10 a, 10 b, for convenience of description. The main bodies184 of the buckling sheets 18 of the first fin 10 a are correspondinglyreceived in the main portions 164 of the buckling holes 16 of the firstfin 10 b. The extending portions 182 of the buckling sheets 18 of thefirst fin 10 a are correspondingly received in the extending portions162 of the buckling holes 16 of the first fin 10 b. The protrusions 122of the first fin 10 b are correspondingly buckled in the extendingportions 162 of the buckling holes 16 of the first fin 10 a. Thus, thefirst fins 10 a, 10 b are connected together.

Also referring to FIG. 4, a tab 18 a extends perpendicularly from eachflange 14 of the second fin 102 towards the other flange 14. Thebuckling plate 11 includes a rectangular body 13, and two flanges 15extending perpendicularly from top and bottom edges of the body 13,respectively. The body 13 defines four buckling holes 17 near the topand bottom edges thereof, corresponding to the buckling sheets 18 a ofthe second fin 102.

The buckling plate 11 and the second fin 102 are arranged in such amanner that the flanges 15 of the buckling plate 11 face the flanges 14of the second fin 102. After assembly, the flanges 15 of the bucklingplate 11 abut against inner sides of the flanges 14 of the second fin102. The tabs 18 a of the second fin 102 are bent to be engaged in thebuckling holes 17 of the buckling plate 11, thereby buckling the secondfin 102 and the buckling plate 11 together.

According to the above, because the buckling plate 11 is buckled in aninner side of the second fin 102 where the flanges 14 are located, sothat the tabs 18 a and the flanges 14 of the second fin 102 are notdirectly exposed, a human operator is prevented from being hurt by theheat sink 1000 during handling of the heat sink 1000.

It is believed that the embodiment(s) and its advantages will beunderstood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent thatvarious changes may be made thereto without departing from the spiritand scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its materialadvantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferredor exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

1. A heat sink comprising: a fin group, the fin group comprising: aplurality of first fins connected together; and a second fin coupled tothe first fin located at the outmost side of the plurality of firstfins, the second fin comprising a first body and a first flange bendingfrom a side of the first body, the first flange defining a firstbuckling hole therein and forming a tab in the vicinity of the firstbuckling hole; and a buckling plate, the buckling plate comprising: asecond body; and a second flange bending from a side of the second body,the second flange facing and abutting against the first flange of thesecond fin, and the tab of the second fin extending through the bucklingplate to buckle the second fin and the buckling plate together.
 2. Theheat sink of claim 1, wherein the second body of the buckling platedefines a second buckling hole near the second flange, the secondbuckling hole corresponding with the tab of the second fin, the tab ofthe second fin being bent and extending through the second buckling holeof the buckling plate to buckle the second fin with the buckling platetogether.
 3. The heat sink of claim 1, wherein each of the first finscomprises a body and a flange bending from a side of the body, theflange of each first fin extending along a same direction and abuttingagainst the body of an adjacent first fin, the flange of each first findefining a buckling hole therein and forming a buckling sheet in thevicinity of the buckling hole, the buckling sheet of the first fin atthe outmost side being received in the first buckling hole of the secondfin.
 4. The heat sink of claim 3, wherein a protrusion protrudesoutwardly from an edge of the body of each first fin near the bucklinghole, the buckling sheet of one first fin being received in the bucklinghole of another first fin, the protrusion of the another first fin beingbuckled in the buckling hole of the one first fin.
 5. The heat sink ofclaim 4, wherein the buckling sheet of each first fin comprises a mainbody and an extending portion, the buckling hole of each first fincomprising a main portion and an extending portion, the main body of thebuckling sheet of the one first fin being received in the main portionof the buckling hole of the another first fin, the extending portion ofthe buckling sheet of the one first fin being received in the extendingportion of the buckling hole of the another first fin, the protrusion ofthe another first fin being buckled in the extending portion of thebuckling hole of the one first fin.
 6. The heat sink of claim 5, whereinthe extending portion of the buckling hole of the first fin has anextending distance equal to an extending distance of the extendingportion of the buckling sheet plus the thickness of the protrusion. 7.The heat sink of claim 6, wherein a width of the main body of eachbuckling sheet is larger than that of the extending portion of eachbuckling sheet.
 8. The heat sink of claim 5, wherein the main body ofthe buckling sheet of each first fin is located near the extendingportion of the buckling hole of the first fin.
 9. The heat sink of claim1, wherein the buckling plate is placed in an inner side of the secondfin where the first flange is located.
 10. The heat sink of claim 1,wherein the second flange of the buckling plate abuts against an innerside of the first flange of the second fin.
 11. The heat sink of claim1, wherein the buckling plate is made of metal.
 12. A heat sinkcomprising: a first fin, the first fin comprising a first body and afirst flange bending from a side of the first body, a buckling sheetextending outwards from an outer edge of the first flange; a second fincoupled to the first fin, the second fin comprising a second bodyabutting the outer edge of the first flange of the first fin and asecond flange bending from a side of the second body along a directionaway from the first fin, the second flange of the second fin defining abuckling hole therein receiving the bucking sheet of the first fin, anda tab extending outwards from an outer edge of the second flange of thesecond fin; and a buckling plate, the buckling plate comprising a thirdbody abutting the outer edge of the second flange of the second fin, anda third flange bending from a side of the third body to abut the secondbody of the second fin, the third body of the buckling plate defining ahole with the tab of the second fin engaged in the hole.
 13. The heatsink of claim 12, wherein the hole of the third body of the bucklingplate is defined near the third flange, the tab of the second fin beingbent to be engaged in the hole of the buckling plate to buckle thesecond fin with the buckling plate together.
 14. The heat sink of claim12, wherein the first flange of the first fin defines a buckling holetherein, a protrusion protruding outwardly from an edge of the secondbody near the buckling hole of the second fin, the protrusion of thesecond fin being buckled in the buckling hole of the first fin.
 15. Aheat sink comprising: a fin and a buckling plate, the fin comprising afirst body and a first flange extending from an edge of the first bodytowards the buckling plate, the buckling plate comprising a second bodyand a second flange extending from an outer edge of the second bodytowards the fin, the first body and the second body being spaced fromeach other, the first flange of the fin and the second flange of thebuckling plate being located between the first body and the second body,a tab extending from the flange of one of the fin and the bucklingplate, and the other one of the fin and the buckling plate defining ahole in which the tab is engaged.
 16. The heat sink of claim 15, whereinthe first flange of the fin abuts the second body of the buckling plate,and the second flange of the buckling plate abuts the first body of thefin.
 17. The heat sink of claim 16, wherein the flanges of the fin andthe buckling plate overlap each other.
 18. The heat sink of claim 17,wherein the tab extends from an outer edge of the first flange of thefin, and the hole is defined in the second body of the buckling plate,and the second flange of the buckling plate contacts an inner side ofthe first flange of the fin which faces the second body.
 19. The heatsink of claim 15, wherein the first flange of the fin defines a holetherein, and the heat sink further comprising another fin engaged in thehole of the fin.